-- Apr 14, 1999
Ruling on Temple anointings-- Salt Lake City.
The "second blessings" here referred to are presumably also on occasion known as "second anointings." Since the sacred nature of Temple ordinances and ceremonies restricts their discussion outside the Temples it is pointless to make much comment on this letter. It is interesting, however, that President Snow restored a practice obtaining in the administrations of Brigham Young and John Taylor but which had been suspended during the administration of Wilford Woodruff. As supplementary material to this letter the reader might refer to the material on the "Law of Adoption" (1894) earlier in this volume where justification or explanation is made on the grounds on which these changes in rules are made by different Presidents of the L.D.S. Church.
Office of The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah, April 14th, 1900.
Prest. David H. Cannon, St. George
DEAR BROTHER:
During the lifetime of the late President Wilford Woodruff a rule was established by him not to permit a woman to be anointed to a man unless she had lived with him as a wife. This was a restriction of the rule in such cases which obtained during the lifetime of Presidents Brigham Young and John Taylor. After considering the matter we have concluded to restore the practice as expressed in the following, and which will govern in such cases in the future:
Any woman, who has been sealed to a man in life or by proxy, whether she has lived with him or not, shall have the privilege of being anointed to him inasmuch as he shall have had his second blessings.
LORENZO SNOW, GEORGE Q. CANNON, JOSEPH F. SMITH. {1890-April 14-Circular letter, Church Historian's Library,} (1)
[Temple] [Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith to David H. Cannon, Apr. 14, 1900, in MFP, 3:325-26] During the lifetime of the late President Wilford Woodruff a rule was established by him not to permit a woman to be anointed to a man unless she had lived with him as a wife. This was a restriction of the rule in such cases which obtained during the lifetime of Presidents Brigham Young and John Taylor. After considering the matter we have concluded to restore the practice as expressed in the following, and which will govern in such cases in the future: Any woman, who has been sealed to a man in life or by proxy, whether she has lived with him or not, shall have the privilege of being anointed to him inasmuch as he shall have had his second blessings [second anointing]. (2)
Endnotes:
1 - Clark, James R., Messages of the First Presidency (6 volumes)
2 - Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship
LDS History Chronology: Lorenzo Snow
Mormon History Timeline: the life of Lorenzo Snow
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
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